The cliche of New Year's Resolutions is upon us again. Are you one of those people who makes a resolution? Do you accomplish it? I don't know the exact statistics but its pretty common knowledge that most people do not. I personally do not like to make resolutions simply because it is cliche and doesn't necessarily mean anything. Whatever you set out to accomplish, you have to figure out WHY you want to do it. This is especially true if the goal is kind of lofty or takes some discipline.

Your "why" might be to look good in a swimsuit, or for your wedding or to run a race. Is it that important to you that you will do whatever it takes to achieve and maintain that goal? The reason why people fail at achieving their resolutions most of the time is because its a nice goal and it sounds good, but when push comes to shove, its just not that important, or something more important takes priority.

Now let me ask you this: Is there anything more important to you than your health? Think about it...if you lose your health, what happens--especially if its a biggie (not talking a cold or anything). Put bluntly, you lose everything, literally. You could die. What is more important than preserving your life? If not for you, then for your family and those that count on you.

This is a pretty big "why" for a lot of people, but they still get derailed. Many times this happens because they forget their why or because they don't have a plan and don't manifest their vision.

Here are 5 steps to make your health goals happen this year:1. write down what you want and WHY you want it. make it big, make it something that gets you emotional. draw or cut out a picture and paste it with your goal/why statements.

2. make 3 copies of this collage and put one at your nightstand, one on the fridge, and one at your desk--all where you can easily see them, to remind you of your goal and keep you focused.

3. every day--every single day!--read your statements before you go to bed and when you wake up in the morning, and whenever you see your collage--at your desk, on your fridge, etc.

4. visualize what your goal will look like--if that is running a race, visualize yourself crossing the finish line; if its getting your cholesterol down, visualize feeling awesome and seeing your numbers; if its feeling good about your body, visualize you looking in the mirror seeing the person you want to be and how that feels. Experience the vision, feel it with your whole body and mind.

5. devise a plan to make it happen. if you want to run a marathon, you have to follow a regimented training program to get there. If you want to get your cholesterol down, you need a plan for that. A health and fitness pro can help you with these--this is what we do--create programs and help people achieve their goals. We can't do it for you, but we can help you map it out. Ultimately, you will be the one to create and manifest the vision to reality.

It IS possible to create the life you want to live. You can make 2011 the year it all turns around. It might not happen next month or next year, but resolve to be on the journey, create your vision, and follow a well-laid plan. You can't fail with that! Happy New Year!!

Here are some good tips to stay motivated from USA Today Wkd Magazine:(From the List Maker's Get Healthy Guide)

Define your goal.

Fix an image in your head

put yourself first

get gear you need

reward yourself (but not with food! :))

make it an event

check excuses at the door.

have a blast

Does a lot of this sound familiar? We talk about this a lot in Team Training and in the Healthy Edge, two great ways to get healthy this year. With health care costs rising, its going to be up to us more and more to take charge of our health and be proactive! Here are a couple more tips:

get one or two outfits you feel good wearing--when you look good you feel good and you'll be motivated to wear your new clothes to work out.

don't think about it too much! just do it!

write down your goal and repeat it every day when you wake up and when you go to bed.

I love the undo button! I take so many more chances with my computer because I know that if I mess something up its just a click away from going back to the way it was. Although our bodies arent quite so forgiving by undoing havoc we've wreaked from a bad weekend, or the college years, our bodies are incredible at healing and repairing. Some would go so far to say we have a "reset" button.When we eat foods that are processed and high in sugar, our bodies react biochemically. I'm not going to get into all the science in biology of it right now, but suffice it to say that this is the cause of all major degenerative disease (pretty much common sense these days). When we start eating a diet of whole foods, like fruits, veggies, legumes, nuts and seeds, and lean protein, like eggs and fish our bodies begin to heal. When we add a high quality nutritional supplement, our bodies have the optimal tools to actually reverse the process! Its truly amazing what a person can do with eating right and exercise!!Stay tuned for tips and recipes for achieving optimal wellness and reversing heart disease, high cholesterol and weight gain. Gotta get my zzz's (also important for staying healthy!).be well...elyse

I found the cutest writing piece my daughter wrote. I thought it was a scrap paper and actually started a list on the back. As I was ready to toss it in the trash, I flipped it over. It was my daughter Rachel's plans for her future. On this piece of notebook paper, she has detailed out her vision for her life. She is going to be a famous actor and singer and live in a big mansion and have two dogs and a cat (already knows the names and genders of said animals) and have an outdoor pool with a swirly slide and an indoor pool with a hot tub....She knows EXACTLY what she wants! And she can see it soooo clearly! How many of us were like that--did that--when we were kids? Where did that go? Writing down our visions for our lives is such a fundamental principle, regardless of what your goals and visions are. Think, say, believe, do. This progression has been the foundation of success for eons. Its an innate quality. Thoughts become words; words become actions; and actions become habits. Where it gets murky is when we have a hard time visualizing ourselves where we want to be--the "believe" part. Like if you've struggled with your weight, and people called you fat when you were a kid, its hard to believe that you can be thin. If you have had self doubt about being successful, then its hard to break through that negative image. BUT IT IS POSSIBLE. Think, say, believe, do. Think, say, believe, do. What is your vision for your health and wellness? write it down and read it everyday, when you wake up and when you go to bed. believe it and visualize every detail! Then you will do it!!I'm doing a triathlon this weekend--my big one of the year. I'll let you know how I do! :)

While doing a training swim at East Fork Lake this morning, I had a personal
revelation! Its something that I have
heard many times, applied to many things, but it really hit home in the moments
while I was trying to focus on swimming from one end of the beach to the
other. It occurred to me that when I had a fixed bouy to focus on
in the distance, I would swimming in a straight line, and could get in a “zone.”
I could just concentrate on that one
bouy out there and check on it about every other breath. It was quite relaxing knowing that I was on
target and that I actually had a concrete target to swim towards. It was so rewarding realizing that I was
moving, making progress towards my goal.However, when I got to the bouy and I turned around, the sun
was glaring on the water. There was the
same line of bouys, now to left of me, instead of the on the right side (I swim
and breathe predominantly to the right), but my goal was unclear. Where was I going? Which buoy did I need to go to? I started swimming in the other direction, using the beach
as my guide. I tried to breathe to the
other side so I could see the bouys to my left.
At least I could swim with the line, benchmarking my progress, I thought. But I didn’t know where exactly I was
going. I couldn’t see my
destination. And this is where my revelation hit! I’m certainly not the first person to realize
this! Even if you have benchmarks along
the way, if you don’t know where you are going, your ultimate destination, it
will be infinitely harder to get there. It
became clearer to me how I can apply this to my life and my business. AND how to apply it to a HEALTH journey. For me, my ultimate goal is to live long and
die short. Call it growing old
gracefully, but my personal goal is to stay off medication, stay active, and be
healthy my whole life. Death should not
be long and drawn out with disease and pain. If you don’t have a clear idea of what your health goal is (like
the bouy to focus on), its hard to stay focused every day on the daily tasks to
make it happen. If you want to get
stronger, you have to figure out what that means in a concrete goal. If I want to “be healthy” I have to define
what that means, or else I will probably get distracted by time, family, and
special occasions. Good intentions are
the start but action and MOVING FORWARD are the key.When I had a hard time focusing on my destination in the
water, I was all over the place. I kept
swimming too close to shore, worrying about others around me, not able to find
my rhythm. I see a lot of people struggling with this in daily life when it
comes to their health goals. You have to
know why you are doing something—what is driving you forward and visualize
where you are going. THAT—and that alone
will get you what you want.Wish me luck next Sunday!
I’m participating in the Deer Creek Triathlon in the Olympic
Distance!! Be well“Elyse

For thousands of years people have been searching for the mythical fountain of youth, however this resource is no myth and it is accessible to everyone! What is it? No it is not a fountain, it is not a pill, or some miracle food. Its good old fashioned hard work--what we call exercise nowadays. I know, its not as sexy as you thought, however the good news is that you can tap into its powerful effects every single day! How does exercise keep us young? Here are a few examples:

brings blood flow to the face, rejuvenating skin

creates more synovial fluid in the joints lubricating them and reducing inflammation-causing friction

builds muscle tone to control metabolism

keeps the tiny capillaries to the muscles healthy so they can produce more energy

secretes happy hormones and burns off estrogen metabolites

Need more reasons? Need to make it easy? Join us for TEAM TRAINING! Take my challenge to drop a dress size in 21 days! Give me 30 minutes a day in the AM or PM and we will make it happen! Utilize the Fountain of Youth! See events for details! Or email me at elysej@venus4her.com

Have you ever thought about getting old? If you are young, you probably haven't given it much thought. If you are about 40 something then you may have had to contemplate where you are headed. Being in my 40's I think about what road I am headed down and observe the same in my friends. What will we be like in 30 years, when I am my mom's age? She has seen a huge dichotomy in her friends' health status as compared to her own. Is it because she has always been the epitomy of fitness and a vegetarian? Not at all. In fact, she is neither. But I am getting off track...my point is not to tell you about my mother's health, which is a lot better than most of her friends at 70. The point of this entry is to start a discussion about taking the "long short road" or the "short long road". What does this mean to you? I think one thing it means is that life is a marathon, not a sprint. That a healthy life leads you down a long road of good functioning physically and mentally into your "old age", and that the time of deterioration is relatively short. But, if your life is lived indulgently, gaining 5 or 10 lbs every year, drinking a lot of alcohol and not worrying about the quality of food you eat, it WILL catch up with you. The body will begin to decay in the 40's and 50's, cholesterol and blood pressure will be issues that need to be "controlled" and physical limitations will be more and more profound. Who wants to spend 30 years like that? Nobody! BUT when we are young we think--that will never happen to me! Please dont be so foolish.I have heard so many people say, "Getting old sucks!" and it comes from people of all ages--50s, 60s, and 70s. You don't hear that much from people who are older than that because they are either happy they are functioning at a good level, or they are just happy to still be around. Getting old doesnt have to suck! and it doesnt have to endure for 30 years. whatever happened to aging "gracefully"? In the next post, I will discuss the Fountain of Youth! Please comment! be well...Elyse

Hi, I am Elyse Jarard. I was a fitness professional and nutritional expert for over 13 years. I loved it! But, my passion for health and helping others get healthy was often unrealized, because people give up on their goals too easily. Many of my clients had great goals and worked hard, but lacked the mental "fortitude" to keep going or to do what they needed when no one was watching. They were beating themselves up. So now I focus on helping people with my 7-Day Thought Detox to help them get rid of the bully in their heads.